0
Anonymous Posted 18 years ago
Grammar

Proper use of 'an' or 'a'

How should the sentence be:

You're almost to an MBA.

OR

You're almost to a MBA

I thought you were to use 'an' before any word that began with A, E, I, O, U and Y.
Are there exceptions?

Thanks!

SS
  

Top answer

What we're dealing with here is the beginning sound of the word. M , of course, is a consonant, but when we say the letter, the initial sound is a vowel (emmm). Which to use when writing is up to the individual.

— Philip

  • What we're dealing with here is the beginning sound of the word.
  • M , of course, is a consonant, but when we say the letter, the initial sound is a vowel (emmm).
  • Which to use when writing is up to the individual.
  • I would us an because I would expect the reader to say emm, bee, ay, rather than Master of Business....
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

5 Answers
0
What we're dealing with here is the beginning sound of the word. M, of course, is a consonant, but when we say the letter, the initial sound is a vowel (emmm). Which to use when writing is up to the individual. I would us an because I would expect the reader to say emm, bee, ay, rather than Master of Business....
0
0
Thanks!

It was driving me crazy - I thought an sounded better but some rule I learned in elementary was stuck in the back of my mind.
0
0
I don’t think so – I was taught as follows:



In the case where the a or the an precedes an abbreviation, such as MBA, you must determine what the first letter of the abbreviation replaces, then use a or an appropriately. In the case of MBA, M is used in place of Masters, so you would use a, not an.
0
0
Anonymous In the case of MBA, M is used in place of Masters, so you would use a, not an.
M is pronounced 'em'. So it should be an MBA. You are misleading members.
0

Related Questions